What causes a clicking sound in the neck?

Hi, My name is josh, My neck clicks 3 times when I turn it to the left, id there any exercises or therapy I can practice to make it go away.

Anonymous
Hi All,
I had the same problem with my neck popping and cracking nearly two weeks now, it started when I was out walking the dog and I may have pulled a muscle in my neck, so I went to my GP and she told me to see a Physiotherapist as I was not in any pain at all. I booked one last week and he told me that the clicking sound in my neck was two bones in the back of my vertebrae rubbing against each other and that my muscles were all stiff and tight. He gave me exercise's to do with my head ( 3 simple exercise's for five minutes - 3 times daily) You would need to see a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor for advice. My clicking has stopped but I must continue the exercise's to strengthen the neck and shoulders. Good luck to you all who are suffering with this, it's very annoying and I hope you get the help you need.

My neck has been clicking for almost 8 months. I was going to school and I tilt it left and it clicked and right. Ever since then its clicked everyday at least once. My friends hear the noise sand said to me its stress. I started to sit up straight and relax a bit and not overdue any revision but nothing changed. The clicking got worse. Some days my neck was so bad the pain was unbearable. I had to get my mum to massage it but after so many months nothing changed. I had changed mattresses, my sleeping style and pillows. I went to the doctors and they told me its fine and just to exercise. So I started exercising but nothing's changed. The pain is still there everyday and the noise is still loud and the clicks happen at least twice a day now.

Am 17 now... I have been having this popping sound around my neck ever since I have been 13..most doctors I've been to have told me it is to do with posture, its been over 4 years now and I've been suffering from a severe neck pain and stifness since 4 years and no relief.. ( its popping sound accompanied with pain) and now even my shoulders have started popping. plz help me with what I need to be doing

My neck started clicking and eventually the grinding went to my head. It grinds when I yawn or chew my food. I thought perhaps it was the result of sleeping on my stomach and grinding my teeth in my sleep. Will keep reading comments and maybe find a solution some day. Thanks everyone.

A ‘clicking neck’ is a clearly audible sound caused by either turning (rotation) or tilting (lateral flexion) of the head. In most cases, the clicking sound is a result of tight neck muscles causing the vertebrae to rub against each other during certain movements. While there may be no other symptoms present apart from a clicking neck sound, with time the persistent muscle spasm will lead to headaches, neck or upper back pain. In most cases of a clicking neck, ‘cracking’ the joints (medical term ~ articular release) usually resolves the clicking noise and eases tightness of the joint.

Dear All,

My neck started clicking/popping about 5 months ago. It occurred spontaneously while I was sitting on the sofa, resting on my elbows. I remember tilting my neck backwards and shifting it to the right. I then heard a distinct cracking sound coming from the base of my skull. I got up and noticed that the clicking/popping sound persisted every time I turned my head to the right (2 clicks), whenever I tilted my head to the left (1 click), and sometimes during flexion & extension. The sounds were never accompanied by symptoms involving pain, numbness, compression, dizziness, etc. and did not account for the particular body posture adopted (standing/sitting). The clicking/popping sounds were typically very loud and, as such, they could easily be heard by people around me.

Shortly after the triggering event, I did:

- take a standard MRI scan (no abnormalities detected);

- see 12 doctors who rushed into forwarding all types of diagnoses (ligament laxity vs. C1-C2 subluxation vs. facet joint hypermobility, etc.) and remedies (complete rest & wearing a soft cervical collar vs. little exercising vs. lots of exercising);

- take a full blood test (all normal);

- start taking muscle relaxers & anti-inflammatories for 10 days’ time (no changes);

- start taking Calcium & Magnesium supplements;

- use different creams aimed at treating muscle-related problems (no improvements);

- go to several massage therapists (no results over 5 sessions);

- see 2 chiropractors (3 visits, no results);

- start walking for at least an hour’s time every day;

- try different stretching techniques independently (clicking/popping became louder after each attempt). Furthermore, I noticed that the clicking/popping sounds occurred even when I was moving my arms alongside my body (e.g. drawing circles or semicircles) while maintaining a neutral posture (looking straight).

The very fact that I couldn’t make the clicking/popping go away affected me tremendously. I had trouble accommodating a normal diet into my daily schedule. I experienced serious weight loss due to poor appetite. Nevertheless, I had trouble maintaining an emotional equilibrium. I felt scared and I felt distressed. I refused seeing a psychologist because I wasn’t looking at ways to accommodate change. Simply put: I was determined to treat the cause, not the effect(s). The clicking/popping was highly disconcerting and I knew for sure that if I could make it go away, I would be able to put my life back on the right track.

I wanted to address the underlying cause & acknowledged the fact that it would be a difficult task. While doctors failed to agree upon a common denominator (different potential diagnoses were passed on), I possessed little anatomy-related knowledge to decide whose opinion to value and who was off the track. As such, I decided to work on it myself and take it from scratch. Browsing through different health forums, anatomy course books & medical journals helped me put together a solid bunch of sensible information. Having reached a better understanding of the head-neck-back mechanism, I then moved to decrypting radiological patterns aimed at diagnosing spinal malfunctions. On the one hand, this helped me interpret my MRI; on the other hand, it taught me about the pitfalls of a standard MRI scan - in the sense that it provides limited information. I knew a CT scan would help validate/invalidate atlantoaxial subluxation-related scenarios (anterior/posterior/rotatory displacements), but I decided to keep this as a final option. Instead, I chose to go for an Upright MRI scan covering the alar ligaments, dens axis & atlas, neutral position, lateral rotations & bendings.

I ‘felt' that my problem was actually driven by a muscular imbalance rather than a dysfunction involving the cervical vertebrae/ligaments/facet joints. However, I couldn’t rely on my intuition or on somebody else’s speculations. I needed scientific evidence to stress the actual issue.

The main inconvenience consisted of the fact that I had to wait for 2 weeks in order to complete the scan, so I thought I’d do carry on with my research in the meanwhile. I came across several articles discussing muscular imbalances, including underlying causes & treatment options. I learned that ‘muscle knots’ cannot always be released through self-manipulation exercises (e.g. workouts in the gym), through massages or through muscle relaxants. I read about the Trigger Point Therapy & how this can help restore full muscle functionality. I also came across several health forums depicting the results of something called the 'Bowen technique' and the wide span of issues which it claims to address. I have to say I was very skeptical about the lack of proof documenting the use of the technique, but I thought I would still give it a go. I felt safe because I still had acupuncture & Trigger Point Therapy to try next, should Bowen therapy had failed me.

I scheduled an appointment with a Bowen therapist & I have to admit I didn’t feel much improvement once the session was over. The only notable change comprised of the fact that I felt my body lighter than usual. The therapist explained that the adjustments she made were designed to work towards resetting my nervous system - which was ultimately expected to generate new input to help support my body’s healing ability. She also explained that I might need several such sessions to reach some tangible results. I experienced no additional changes that day, nor over the next few days. So I called it quits. To a certain extent, I admit that my decision was somewhat unreasonable, but I wasn’t mentally prepared to wait for a long time (Bowen therapy sessions are usually performed once a week/once every 2 weeks) in order to experience another ‘failure'.

6 days later, I was taking a walk near the lake with my mom & her friend. When I left the car, the clicking/popping sound was so loud that I started crying. I was feeling sad and helpless. On the way back, I remember I turned my head right to look at the swans. My neck didn’t click. I repeated the motion 5 times in a row and that is when I realised that the nightmare was over for good. My neck clicking/popping suddenly stopped. I couldn’t stand up straight because I knew that God made it go away. We were all stunned at what happened there. The neck clicking/popping disappeared spontaneously and hasn’t come back since :)

I decided to post this in an attempt to support those of you who are struggling with this condition. Most importantly, I did it to emphasise the idea that there is HOPE, irrespective of what doctors/therapists might tell you. Don’t let them get away with their ‘good to go’ diagnoses - ask them to substantiate their findings through evidence. Ultimately, do not let them mix hypotheses/speculations with facts. Focus on identifying the inconsistencies & address the gaps accordingly.

Sorry for taking the liberty of being over-descriptive. I tried my best to incapsulate my end-to-end experience, hoping it would be of good help to others. I’ll never know what exactly happened with my neck, but considering the outcome, I believe it had to do with a muscular imbalance involving either of the sternocleidomastoid/trapezius/suboccipital muscle(s). However, facts are facts: I’ll never know for sure.

Lastly, I’d like to express my gratitude to KittyKat82 - who took the time & patience to share her experience & answer my questions. Thank you!